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Patriots Gridiron News: Tom Brady has Bill Belichick’s back after Miami loss

By Tarringo Basile-vaughan

FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 13: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots stands on the field with head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots prior to playing against the Houston Texans during the 2013 AFC Divisional Playoffs game at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2013 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 13: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots stands on the field with head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots prior to playing against the Houston Texans during the 2013 AFC Divisional Playoffs game at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2013 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /
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Following a tough lost to the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady appears to have his coach’s back despite criticism.

You know all that drama in the offseason surrounding New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Tom Brady?  Well, some of it may have been real, but there is no denying the bond between the Hall-of-Fame pair when it comes to football on the field.

Winning certainly solidifies a football relationship, especially after 19 seasons of doing it together.  But, what happened Sunday afternoon down in Miami only strengthens the bond between the best coach in the league and the quarterback everyone believes is the greatest of all-time.

In the 34-33 last second loss to the Dolphins, both Bill Belichick and Tom Brady could shoulder some of the blame.  Brady, for his lack of clock awareness in the final seconds of the first half and Belichick, for the team’s mental and physical lapse in basically watching Kenyan Drake scamper through the defense for the winning touchdown.

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While that kind of loss could be devastating for a football team, it only serves as another learning experience for this football team.  That’s mainly because of the coach and the quarterback.  Both understand these things happen in football and both understand that the game must go on.

In his weekly interview with Jim Gray on Westwood One Radio on Monday, Tom Brady was asked about how the team would respond to such a loss.  The 41-year-old quarterback referenced the unpredictability of the NFL in complimenting Belichick for keeping the team balanced in wins and losses.  He also had his coach’s back when asked about the final play of the game and whether Belichick admits when he has made a wrong decision.

"“I think he always takes accountability when we lose,” Brady said, as transcribed by WEEI.  “He wishes things he could have done better.  There’s things I wish I could have done better.  It’s not one play.  You can obviously point to one play at end of the game, which was a play that was a statistical anomaly.   It’s incredibly hard to pull off.  We practice those plays, too.  It’s just hard to ultimately score the touchdown.  There’s a lot more than that one play.  There’s another 59.5 minutes that go into the game that we’re all apart of.  Everyone loves to point at one play, one player, this, that, but the reality is football is the ultimate team sport and we as a team have always tried to rebound from really tough losses.”"

Over the years, the New England Patriots have done that more than any other team.  Of course, they have been in more situations to be a part of such tough losses.  But the moral of this story is that Brady sticks behind his coach and team when things are tough.  During a week when Belichick’s coaching decisions are front and center, Tom Brady isn’t taking the bait.

Now it’s on to Pittsburgh where the true measure of this bond will be challenged.  Both had their goof ups in Miami.  How both the coach and quarterback responds will help trigger a positive response from the rest of the team.

It has been that way for almost two decades.

A must win in Pittsburgh

Sunday’s big showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers was already important when it comes to playoff seeding, but it is extra big following the Week 14 stumble against the Miami Dolphins.

The New England Patriots must show they can bounce back and win a complete game on the road.  The Steelers seem primed for the taking as they come in the game on a three-game losing streak.  That also calls for a desperate team seemingly due to get one against the Patriots.

That’s why Sunday is an important game for Bill Belichick and the crew.  If they win, they keep their No. 1 seed dreams alive, especially if the Kansas City Chiefs drop Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Most importantly at this point, they can keep their hold on the No. 2 seed, which at least means a first-round bye.

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Given the injuries some of their big stars are battling, they bye is extremely important for the New England Patriots.  A loss won’t completely take them out of that scenario, but they will then have to win their remaining two games and do a lot of scoreboard watching.

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